Exam Results - What Next?

It's that time of year again and everyone should have now received their exam results.  All that hard work has been assessed and you have your grades, but what now?  Whether your results were impressive, disappointing or just so so, there are plenty of options for the next stage of your life.

Or you may be entering Years 10 or 11, your final years at school and your GCSE's.  It is never to soon to start planning for your future to make sure you know all your options and make the right choices for the future you want.

Offers 14 -19 year olds an alternative route to gain skills that employers and universities are looking for.  

Diplomas are a more practical and hands on way of learning.  Diplomas focus on developing work relevant skills along with English, Maths and ICT.  

Students can either study for Diplomas in their own school or local college.  Diplomas can be combined with GCSE's and A Levels.  

If you study for a Diploma whilst in Years 10 and 11 you will also have to study compulsory subjects i.e. English, Maths, Science and P.E.

Interested? Follow this link for more details: yp.direct.gov/diplomas

Entry Level Qualifications are a way to gain a nationally recognised qualification without studying for GCSE's.

There are no entry requirements to study for an Entry Level Qualification.

Entry Level Certificates you can study for include English, Science, Maths, Life Skills, Hairdressing and Retail.

You can study at a pace that suits you.

If you study for this qualification at school it usually takes one or two years to complete during Years 10 or 11.

Interested? Follow this link for more details: www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/DG_10039023

An apprenticeship is where you work and study at the same time.

Entry requirements are flexible because Apprenticeships aren't just based on academic achievement.

The qualification you will be working towards is usually an NVQ.

As well as a qualification you will gain practical skills and knowledge from working in your chosen type of employment.

You can use an apprenticeship as a stepping stone to higher education and university.

Areas of work you can do an apprenticeship in include: telecoms, business administration, construction and electrical engineering.

Interested?  Follow this link for more details: www.apprenticeships.org.uk

A levels are made up of the AS level (year one) and A2 level (year two).  After the first year you can either take the AS level as a qualification on its own or continue to the second year and complete a full A level.

AS and A Levels are a way to study a particular subject in detail i.e. Psychology.

In most cases you need at least 5 GCSE's at grades A* - C to study for an A Level

Most people start A Levels after taking their GCSE's however, you can study for them at any age.

There are about 80 A Level subjects including Art History, English Literature, Business Studies and Sociology.

A Levels are normally a mixture of 70% written exams and 30% coursework.

Following A Levels you can either get a job or go on to higher education.

Interested? Follow this link for more details: www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/DG_10039018

NVQ stands for National Vocational Qualification.

NVQ's are related to a particular industry or sector i.e. Beauty Therapy.

There are over 1300 different NVQ'a to choose from.

NVQ's are designed to be taken at your own pace however, most people take one to two years.

NVQ's are assed on practical assignments and a portfolio of evidence.

You can study NVQ's from level 1 to level 5 however, after NVQ level 3 you can progress to a higher education course in a related area such as Higher National Certificate, Higher National Diploma or Foundation Degree.

Interested? Follow this link for more details: www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/DG_10039029

NHCs and HND are work related or vocational higher education qualifications.

HNC's and HND's are available in a wide range of subjects such as engineering, performing arts, health and social care and agriculture.

To study for a HNC or HND you will need previous qualifications such as A Levels or NVQ's.

Interested? Follow this link for more details:
www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/DG_10039026

A Bachelor Degree is sometimes know as an 'ordinary' or 'first' degree.

They lead to a qualifications such as a bachelor of arts (BA), bachelor of science (BSc) or bachelor of medicine (MB).

Degrees usually take three or four years to complete however some degrees, for example a medical course, take five or six years.

The qualification will give you a through understanding of a subject and involves developing analytical, intellectual and essay or dissertation writing skills.

Most bachelor degrees ask for at least two A levels at grade E or above or equivalent grades in other qualifications. To find out entry requirement for a particular course you can search the UCAS website.

Interested? Follow this link for more details:
www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/DG_10039021

or visit the UCAS site: www.ucas.com